This invention relates to child safety seats, particularly those of the type principally intended to provide safe seating conditions for infants and small children while riding in vehicles. More particularly, this application discloses an anti-rebound bar for retarding inertia-induced rotation of the base and the attached carrier by transmitting rotational force applied to the seat during a sudden change in velocity into the seat back of the vehicle seat onto which the seat is attached. This type of seating product is regulated by governmental authorities in order to provide a safe environment during vehicle operation. Many such seats also provide features that permit the seat to be easily removed from and installed in the vehicle, provide the ability for the seat to be carried or attached to other conveyances, such as strollers. As governmental regulations have changed, seats have been designed to provide, for example, secure latching points to the vehicle seat, rear-facing attachment to the vehicle seat, separation and removal of a carrier portion from a base portion, and adjustment of the carrier to accommodate the size of the child's growth during the period of seat use that comply with these regulations. Seats heretofore developed have incorporated some such features piecemeal, and thus present countervailing disadvantages, such as unnecessary weight and bulk, difficulty in removing the carrier/base combination from, and attaching the carrier/base combination to, the vehicle seat, or the carrier from the base, and adjusting the carrier and/or base to accommodate the child's growth.
The present application discloses a child safety seat that has been designed to be relatively light weight, compact, easy to use, versatile and adaptable to a wide range of vehicle seating types and features, while achieving a high standard of comfort and safety. Within the basic design, provision has been made for the addition or removal of features to achieve compliance with varying governmental regulations. In particular, the seat can be provided with fixed Isofix latches, tethered Isofix latches or seatbelt locks.
The seat and its components as disclosed in the application also have a novel and aesthetically pleasing appearance.